Week 9, Thing 23

Reflections on 23 Things:

1-Favorite discoveries/experiences- I enjoyed setting up my blog, and I felt a sense of accomplishment as I posted each activity that I had completed. I liked Flickr and I also enjoyed creating a make-believe image of myself (several years younger) using Meez.

2-Affect on lifelong learning goals- Although many times I resented the time that it took to do the exercises, I realize that if we are to effectively serve our patrons we need to try to keep up with what is available. I certainly do not have the time or expertise to explore and sort through all of the new technologies that are out there. Therefore, a program like this to guide and advise us in a definite, though sometimes rambling, framework is helpful. Although at times I felt pressured, having weekly tasks (with a little leeway), kept me somewhat focused instead of allowing me to procrastinate. It was important to me that I was able to meet my goal of completing the program within the allotted time period of 12 weeks.

3-Surprises- Before this program, I truly had no idea of what I did and did not know about the internet. I learned some new terms and was introduced to a lot of new technologies and interesting sites. I realize that the internet is vast, change is certain, and we face a constant challenge to be aware of what is out there.

4-Improvements- I understand the importance of this type of program to help us to better serve our patrons. I know that it must be hard to design a program for a cross-section of people with different levels of computer skills, different computers (some old, some new, some outdated), and different working situations. I think that if these exercises are only supposed to take 15 to 20 minutes (and does that include posting a blog each time?), then clearer instructions and hints should be given. Some people work alone and have no support system on site. Occasional workshops (maybe in a computer lab) where we could ask questions and share our experiences before we forget them would be a great improvement.

5-Participate, again?- Yes, I do enjoy learning new things, and I know that I can always benefit from an update on the latest technologies that have been selected as highly relevant to my job.

6-Summary- Am I a successful lifelong learner? I definitely began with the end in mind (hoping I'd get there quickly)! I had to accept responsiblity for my own learning, and, not always happily, I came to view (most) problems as challenges. I did find the program to be worthwhile. Although I had frustrations, I did learn a lot, and I know that I still have a lot to learn. It would be nice if I could keep Ashley in my "toolbox".

Week 9, Thing 22

Although we have had eBooks in our system for quite awhile, we, to my knowledge, have never been offered any instruction concerning their use. Therefore, I was eager to learn about them as well as the downloadable audio books. However, in no way would I label this exercise as part of "a fun week", due in part, I'm sure, to the computers that we use.

First of all, the "Overdrive Digital Media Guided Tour" would not download on 1 of our 2 computers, and it could only be viewed without sound on the other. After waiting for 40 minutes for "Introduction to NetLibrary" to load, I gave up, although my co-worker was eventually able to view (not hear) it on the 2nd computer. "Project Gutenberg" is cumbersome and not very exciting, but at least I could view and explore it fairly easily. I also checked our "World eBook Fair", but I personally would not subscribe to it.

After much wasted time and frustration, I was determined to gain some understanding of "Maryland's Digital eLibrary Consortium" (Maryland OverDrive) because that is the one that is available to our patrons. Therefore, I went through all of the steps and checked out a book. I checked the titles of the downloadable videos, and I did not see anything that really interested me. I do feel that I now at least have a little knowledge about the whole process, if not a complete understanding. I would probably not read a book online, and I would not use the videos which are currently available. However, I do think that the downloadable audio books are good for some of our patrons who regularly check out those that we have on our shelves.

Week 9, Thing 21

Did I mention that we cannot control the sound on our computer? Combine that with the on-again off-again video and it was impossible to understand "Ask A Ninja". However, I used the other discovery tools, and I found a podcast on Yahoo Podcasts that seemed like something I would listen to if I had the time. It is Chefs Line- The Culinary Hotline, and I subscribed to it on Bloglines.

Week 9, Thing 20

I explored YouTube and had a difficult time watching the videos on this computer because of all of the starting and stopping. It almost literally gave me a headache.
I watched several, and I vaguely remembered some of the '70s commercials (Wisk, Pepsi,...). Trying to watch music videos was not fun, so I went to "Funny Cat Pictures" because I am ruled by one. I can see how this site would appeal to our patrons, especially the teens, and with the wide variety of offerings, I am sure that some could be useful in a library.

Week 8, Thing 19

I chose the short list of Web 2.0 Awards which gave me more than enough choices.I checked out "Google Spreadsheets" because I have a lot of lists to do. It was brighter and appeared to be more user-friendly than Excel, and it was a 1st place winner. Of course, I did not stop there. Fun Stuff was led by "Cocktail Builder" which seemed like an ideal choice after a long day - I'm sure it could prove to be very helpful (in a social, not a work setting). "One Sentence" was interesting, and I checked out the Games category. "Yahoo! Answers" in the Questions and Advice category makes for interesting reading, but some might be hesitant to ask for millions of opinions. To each his own. This "thing" was kind of fun, and the most useful one for work that I searched would be the Google one.

Week 8, Thing 18+

I enjoyed looking at the productivity tools. Using Zoho Writer, I decided that at last I would post something that related to the name of my blog site. I had a little trouble figuring out how to send it to my blog and have it appear. Oh well, it is there. I hope that those of you with a sweet tooth enjoy the recipe!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

 

CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD COOKIES

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup miniature semisweet chocholate chips

 

Instructions:

 

     Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in flour. Stir in chocolate chips.

 

     Roll dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to about 1/2-inch thickness with greased bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet.

 

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

 

Week 7, Thing 17

It was easy to create a login account. I did manage to add my blog to the Favorite Blogs page. I will now go back in to make sure that it is still there since it seemed almost too easy! For now, I am choosing to skip the optional exercise due to lack of time.

Week 7, Thing 16

In the past, I have only used Wikipedia as a quick reference tool. When I took the time to look closer, I realized that it is much more entertaining than a standard encyclopedia. With "Today's Featured Article", "In the News", "Did you know...", and so on, it is interesting if you have the time. I definitely think that serious researchers need to be weary because of its free-flow format (questionable authors and information), but, all in all, it is a very good idea. I liked the Wikiversity project which may appeal to some of our homeschoolers, and I checked out Wikiquote and Wikispecies.

In our library setting, we have some very good databases, but wikis would enable us to provide much more in-depth coverage of different subjects, such as local history. For our students, it would be nice to have curriculum-based pages where books, reliable websites with links, and databases could be found. This would require the cooperation of the schools, and, of course, several members of the reference staff would have to be involved. This would be wonderful for small branches.

A book review site would be great for all ages, and parents might want to check out what their children are reading, especially with the popularity of YA books and their varied content. There are a lot of ways that wikis can be used, and I really like the idea that everyone in the system would be free to contribute ideas to a site.

Week 6, Thing 15

I have been busy trying to just get through this program while working, cleaning out our library for the move to a new building, trying to tie up loose ends, and occasionally (not often) enjoying a few free minutes with my family, so I must admit that I have had a tiny bit of resentment about doing this program now. As I read through all, yes, all of the articles in this section, I got a wake-up call! Change in our work environment is happening so quickly, and there is so much to learn that we should have been made to take this program sooner.

I have been slow to acknowledge this, even as I grumbled through some of the "things". However, I do enjoy learning so I should be thrilled to know that there are plenty of learning opportunities out there, and who can guess at what's to come?

Anderson's "iceberg" article was relevant to my age group, I believe. The "just in case" collection reflects strong ties to the good old days. As a former teacher, I can relate to the section on user education where he is saying that instead of focusing on educating the patron, we need to improve the access. We also need to take our services to the patron. Adapting to change in the marketplace is essential to keeping our libraries relevant, and, speaking for myself, this old dog better be able to learn some new tricks!

Week 6, Thing 14

I have "discovered" Technorati and explored how tags work with blogs. I "read" the tour, spent a lot of time checking out the site, and, yes, I am amazed at how much is out there.

Checking out "Learning 2.0" as instructed, I found 27,125 Blog posts, 521 Blogs, and then I went into tags (after I discovered that they can be found under advanced search). The tag results were presented differently. They included Blog posts, videos and photos.

I also checked out the top favorited blogs (Boing, Boing led with 2,443 members), the top searches (noelia - whom I had never heard of, but apparently her sex tape is popular since she leads the pack), and the top blogs (Engadget-Authority-29,945 was the winner here). This led me to explore what authority meant. I found an explanation from Steve Rubel (www.micropersuasion.com). Apparently, it is "in-bound links", i.e., popularity. I do plan to ask my son if he is familiar with Engadget, since he keeps up with the latest in technology.